January 8, 2006

EX-STATE LAWMAKER GETS 'FRANK' IN EARNEST

A former state lawmaker is going to the dogs. Hot dogs, that is. Robert Straniere, a longtime assemblyman from Staten Island, is scouting locations in Midtown for his latest venture,...

REFUGEE RADIO - STATIONS SCRAMBLE TO SIPHON STERN'S LEFT-BEHIND

There's nothing like the raw meat of $50 million in advertising money going up for grabs to turn radio's morning drive-time personalities ravenous. The advertising booty is likely to follow...

PUTNAM'S PORN; FUTURE NYSE CO-PREZ SAID TO HAVE RACY DECORATING TASTE

IN the buttoned-down world of the New York Stock Exchange, future co-president - and Archipelago cofounder - Jerry Putnam might have to show some discretion in how he decorates his...

IT SOUNDS CRAZY, BUT SOME MAY GO 'LITE'

Given Howard Stern's heavy metal appearance and classic rock pedigree, you'd think his listeners would rather have a root canal than listen to the crooning of Michael Bolton. Well, think...

ARE DEDUCTIONS HURTING MY FUTURE SS PAY?

Dear John: Since the deductions for TransitChek and other flex-spending plans are made above the tax line, part of the balance sheet includes a reduction in salary for Social Security...

THAT'S THE TICKET; DOT-COM AIMS TO REINVENT SCALPING

Scalping is such a, well, bad term, says Jeff Fluhr, the cofounder of StubHub, a Web company that is trying to become for sports and concert tickets what eBay is...

PLACEMENT & THE RISE OF SCRIPTED COCA-COLA

Maybe it isn't NBC's shows, but rather the suffocating product placements in them that have prompted viewers to fly the Peacock network's coop in droves. At the midway point of...

NEWS HOUNDS; N.Y.'S TOP GOSSIPS DISH WITH DACHSHUNDS

GOSSIP is commonly viewed as a guilty pleasure, but studies show it serves a valuable social function, circulating vital information about people that others need to know. It follows that...

THIS FILM ROCKS

A long-lost silent movie, featuring two of the era's biggest Hollywood stars, is finally getting a run in New York. For 80 years, Sam Wood's "Beyond the Rocks" (1922) -...

'MOROZ' SNOOZES- SO HE LOSES

WHEN a tournament player oversteps the time limit, by exhausting the allotted minutes on his clock, in chess jargon it is said that he "overslept." But that was literally true...

HOT LIST - WHAT WE'RE OBSESSED WITH THIS WEEK

1 Injustice The Miracle Grill and Second Avenue Deli close, but Moby's tea house Teany survives? The mind reels. 2 Service disruptions Replacing of-the-moment, pop-culture-centric slogan T's ("Free Katie!") as...

FRANCO'S DAYS & KNIGHTS - TEEN STAR FRANCO JUMPS TO LEADING-MAN ROLES

He may have begun his career playing a burnout - but unlike his Daniel Desario character in the short-lived NBC TV series "Freaks and Geeks," James Franco does his homework....

WHEN TV 'GEEKS' WALKED THE EARTH

"Freaks and Geeks" was one of TV's best high-school shows. Ever. When the ax fell on the 1999 show after only one season, its talented cast and crew were flung...

THE BEAT GOES ON - SKA PIONEERS THE ENGLISH BEAT - WELL, AT LEAST ONE OF THEM - HIT N.Y.C.

You can understand why the English Beat's Dave Wakeling left his native working-class town of Birmingham, England, for Southern California 25 years ago. One day last week, he stood on...

HEAR THIS

IN CONCERT At Bowery Ballroom: Navel gaze with Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard on Tuesday. Party rockers Morningwood celebrate their new album with the Exit and Army of Me...

THIS WEEK'S CDS

Eric Burdon "Soul of a Man" 4 STARS SPV Recordings ERIC Burdon, the former leader of the Animals, is back with a stunning new disc. The Brit who helped reintroduce...

MASK APPEAL - 'PHANTOM' IS THE GHOST THAT WON'T DIE

Scratch "Cats." Tomorrow, "The Phantom of the Opera" will play its 7,486th performance, wiggling past "Cats" (7,485) and "Les Miserables" (6,680) to become the longest-running show on Broadway. In the...

TYPECAST OF CHARACTERS - BLACK FILM HISTORY ON NEW DVDS

Lena Horne's only two leading roles in Hollywood - and great work by a raft of other legendary African-American performers - are featured in a quartet of all-black musicals being...

REQUIRED READING

Even if you haven't seen Steven Spielberg's "Munich," it's been difficult to avoid all mention of it. But he isn't the only one bringing the 1972 Olympics massacre of Israeli...

MEET MARKET - THE PLACE WHERE THE POST HOOKS YOU UP AND SENDS YOU OUT

Funny gal sought by foxy psych prof MEET Wilson, a wry and witty 41-year-old psychology professor. When he's not molding young minds, Wilson says he likes to socialize. "I usually...

BODY HEAT - JOANNA CASSIDY ROMANCES SHATNER ON 'BOSTON LEGAL'

I THINK I scare people," says Joanna Cassidy. "I really have to watch myself." It's hard to see why Cassidy, a durably glamorous actress with the kind of legs that...

'SHIELD' TRADES CLOSE FOR WHITAKER

CAN Forest Whitaker take down Vic Mackey? It's the start of a new season of "The Shield" - the series' fifth - and Mackey, the barrel-chested rogue cop played by...

BROKEN ANGEL GETS WING REPAIRED BY MTV

JUST when you thought it was safe to tune into MTV without seeing a reality show about a hot blond trying to jump start a career, the music network is...

THE DON'T MISS LIST

DRAMA A COLLECTION of charming, smooth hustlers preys upon the fat cats of London in an original AMC show called "Hustle." Starring the mordant Robert Vaughn, remembered most fondly as...

REEL GOOD - LINDA STASI PREVIEWS THIS WEEK'S BEST MOVIES

GOLDFINGER (1964) Monday, 8 p.m., AMC An evil genius is out to rob the Fort Knox gold reserve. Only James, James Bond (Sean Connery), can stop him. To save the...

AGING SINGLES TOO SILLY FOR LOVE

BETTER late than never. That's a phrase you can apply to the tortured love lives of all the characters headlining TV's new crop of midseason relationship shows. All four shows...

KILOWHAT?! CON ED PRICES JUMP 36%

Baby, it's cold outside - but your pocketbook will be feeling the heat. Con Edison is hiking the price of electricity for residential customers 36 percent this month - a...

GIRLS, LIKE, SO INTO SLANG; 'O.C.'-SPEAK RESHAPING ENGLISH

Valley girl-speak is the most-powerful current influence on the English language, new research contends. Sali Tagliamonte of the University of Toronto, in research presented at the annual meeting of the...

FUNERAL TEARS; N.J. COP INSPIRED PARTNERS

Thousands of cops in dress blues gathered in New Jersey yesterday to see off an officer who was tragically killed Christmas night when his emergency-services truck plunged from an open...

COPS PROBE B'KLYN 'TERROR' BAG

A suitcase found Thursday morning in Brooklyn - chock-full of photos of Big Apple landmarks and subway stations - provoked a massive mobilization of antiterror units when it was finally...

D.C. PROBING NYPD OFFICER

An NYPD inspector who allegedly shot a young Washington, D.C., robber in the arm and fled has been quietly stripped of his badge and gun - weeks after the event,...

N.Y. PALS RECALL LARGER-THAN-LIFE MAN

Prominent New Yorkers joined Israel's prayerful vigil for ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and recalled the leonine leader as a formidable soldier and politician - and charming individual. Former Mayor...

VICIOUS GUN-TOTING ROBBERS IN BRONX KIDNAP

Two armed bandits stormed into a Bronx apartment early yesterday, hog-tying a man and abducting a woman while making off with hundreds of dollars in computer equipment and cash, cops...

ELDERLY MAN FOUND DEAD AT MARINA

A great-grandfather was found dead yesterday at Bayside Marina after disappearing from his Queens home Friday afternoon, his family said. Arman Sadaniantz, 83, a retired jeweler from Bulgaria who survived...

SLEAZE-STAINED GOP BREATHES SIGH OF RELIEF

No wonder President Bush was quick to endorse Rep. Tom DeLay's decision to bail out as a House Republican leader - his exit spells relief for Republicans and regret for...

EX-COP:'I TOLD YOU SO'; EYES MOB-FBI PROBE

A ex-NYPD detective who was bounced off the force after being accused of having mob ties said yesterday that he feels vindicated by the reopened investigation into FBI agent Lindley...

MARKET 'REAL' SLOW; MANHATTAN SELLERS SIT WITH FEW FAT OFFERS

Looking to make a buck in real estate? Get in line. It took almost twice as long to sell a home in Manhattan at the end of last year compared...

MENTAL BLOCK: FINEST REJECT HERO SOLDIER

He was good enough - and then some - to fight in America's war on terror, but the NYPD contends decorated Army veteran William Rodriguez doesn't have the psychological stuff...

IT WAS GETTING DARK. IT WAS GETTING SMOKY. WE WERE LOSING AIR: 2ND MINE NOTE

A HEARTBREAKING second note left by one of 12 miners who died a slow death in a coal mine laid out a chilling timeline showing he was alive for nearly...

SURVIVOR SHOWING SIGNS OF RECOVERY

The sole survivor of the Sago mine tragedy showed such marked improvement yesterday that he was flown to a hospital closer to his home, doctors in Pittsburgh said. Randal McCloy...

STRIKE 'NEWLYWEDS' SET; JESSICA & NICK UNLOAD LOVE NEST

Recently separated Hollywood couple Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey have put their "Newlyweds" love nest up for sale. The Calabasas, Calif., mansion, which the kaput couple occupied during their popular...

POL: GET 'GRAFFITI' ADS OFF THE WALL

One of the world's largest corporations has sprayed New York with graffiti (left) depicting its hot new hand held game system - and a City Council member from Queens is...

SHOOTER SLAYS B'KLYN MAN

A man was shot to death by a brazen thug behind a Brooklyn apartment last night, police said. The victim, whose identity was not immediately known, was shot once in...

GAL DONS A GUY'S GUISE TO EXPLORE A MAN'S WORLD

As a woman, New Yorker Norah Vincent was used to being stared at by men she passed in her Village neighborhood. It's a way men "assert their dominance," she says....

SINAI LIVER DEATHS; TRANSPLANT INFECTIONS

Twenty liver-transplant patients suffered bacterial infections at Mount Sinai Hospital in the last six months - including six people who died, The Post has learned. Liver transplants are highly risky...

NEW HOPE FOR ARIEL; ISRAELI LEADER NOW LIKELY TO SURVIVE STROKE: DOCS

JERUSALEM - For the first time since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke, there were small signs of hope last night for the ailing Israeli leader. Sharon's doctors...

B'KLYN MAN QUIZZED IN CRUISE CASE

A strapping 20-year-old Russian from Brooklyn who partied hard with missing cruise passenger George Smith the night he vanished is the target of an FBI probe into the case. Agents...

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

The last words etched in a child-like scribble by a trapped miner facing death reveal a distraught, intense man who loved his family deeply, experts said. The achingly brief message...

VIC HINTS: BETSY'S GOT PLANS FOR MAYORAL BID

ADD Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum to the mayoral mix for 2009. Gotbaum's husband, Victor, got the buzz going last month when he told a forum honoring Ed Koch that it...

'HAMMER' TOSS; DELAY IS GONE FOR GOOD AS NO. 2

Powerful Rep. Tom "The Hammer" DeLay yesterday nailed down the coffin on his career as No. 2 House Republican, saying he doesn't want his party "hamstrung" as it seeks to...

'POTTER' FASTEST-SELLING BOOK EVER

The publishers of Harry Potter must think they died and went to Hogwarts Heaven. The latest book in the magical children's series moved more copies in one day than any...

WEE VICTORY SITTING WELL WITH LADIES

The Big Apple's "potty parity" law will be put into action for the first time. Wolfgang's Steakhouse, a 200-seat eatery at 407 Greenwich St., will be the first new establishment...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

QUEENS *** Cops are looking for this man (above) for an attempted bank robbery in Bayside last month. The suspect walked into a North Fork branch at 248-40 Northern Blvd....

DEADLY DOG-FOOD HORROR KILLS 100

Veterinarians at Cornell University believe more than 100 dogs have died after eating tainted Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog food. Huge batches of the food contain aflatoxin, a...

L.I. HAMMER-AND-SICK ATTACK

A heated war of words turned cold-blooded early yesterday on Long Island as a mother-and-son team armed with a hammer and a sword left an acquaintance of hers clinging to...

FBI-MOB 'LINK' MAY RUIN CASES

A former Michigan legislator who helped break open the bombshell investigation into an allegedly mob-linked FBI agent told The Post yesterday the G-man's reputed partnership with a gangster could compromise...

SINAI LIVER DEATHS - TRANSPLANT INFECTIONS

Twenty liver transplant patients suffered bacterial infections at Mount Sinai Hospital in the last six months - including six people who died, The Post has learned. Liver transplants are highly...

NYPD COP IS UNDER PROBE IN D.C. SHOOT

An NYPD inspector who allegedly shot a young Washington, D.C., robber in the arm and fled has been quietly stripped of his badge and gun - weeks after the event,...

JINTS' RECIPE DOESN'T INCLUDE PEPPERS

The first and only time right tackle Kareem McKenzie lined up across from Julius Peppers, things did not go well. It was back in a preseason game Aug. 20, and...

BENGALS, STEELERS RIVALRY TO NEXT LEVEL

CINCINNATI - Seventy-one times since being placed in the same division after the 1970 merger, the Bengals and Steelers have met. But never in a playoff game until today. That...

PROEHL BOWL FOR PANTHERS' JERSEY GUY

GIANT NOTES The spotlight this week for the Giants' secondary has shined almost exclusively on the containment of Steve Smith, which is not surprising or unwarranted. But there's a cagey...

'TROY' BLAZES IN COUNT FLEET

Looking every bit as impressive as eventual near-Triple Crown winner Smarty Jones when he won Count Fleet Stakes two years ago, Achilles of Troy tracked quick early pace (:23, :46)...

HOW SWEDE IT IS! LUNDQVIST'S 38 SAVES PROPEL BLUESHIRTS

Rangers 4Panthers 0 It is a work in progress, this Ranger team that's more popular with the fan base than any that has come down the pike in the 11...

JETS GIVE FIRST SHOT TO HASLETT

First up in the batter's box for the Jets in their search for a head coach is Jim Haslett, a man who knows a thing or two about adversity. Haslett,...

HILL'S RETURN ON HOLD

Daryll Hill watch - Day 18. St. John's goes into tonight's game at the Garden against Georgetown still uncertain when, if, its star guard will return to the lineup. But...

COLD COMFORT ; KNIGHTS SOOTHE COACH BY BOUNCING PIRATES

Rutgers 82Seton Hall 78 With the winter finally in full gear, Rutgers coach Gary Waters, like so many others, has been fighting a cold for days. He walked into a...

RETURN ON HOLD FOR STORM'S INJURED HILL

Daryll Hill watch - Day 18. St. John's goes into tonight's game at the Garden (7 p.m., MSG, ESPN: 1050 AM) against Georgetown still uncertain when, if, its star guard...

TIME FOR LARRY TO LET IT FRYE. . . AND GO WITH REGULAR ROTATION

IF Channing Frye isn't hurt, in foul trouble, exhausted, unambiguously awful or delusional, he should play every possible minute of every game. Same holds true for Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury,...

'SKINS ALIVE - REF'S CALL GIVES WASH. REVENGE

Redskins 17Bucs 10 TAMPA - The referees giveth and the referees taketh away. No one knows that better today than the Tampa Bay Bucs. In Week 10 of the regular...

SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING'S POSITIVE FOR DEVILS

Devils 3Sabres 2 BUFFALO - Perfect with Patrik, Lou Lamoriello insists he isn't afraid of upsetting his sudden winning-streak apple cart by replacing himself with a new coach. "It's still...

PAT POWER - BRADY BUNCH CRUISES PAST JAGS

Patriots 28Jaguars 3 FOXBOROUGH - Autumn in New England is all about the foliage. Summer in New England is about Cape Cod. January in New England means Patriot playoff wins....

BELL TOLLS FOR MORMECK

In the alphabet soup that is the world of boxing, only one fighter - Zab Judah - was an undisputed champion, reigning atop the IBF, WBA and WBC. But after...

KNICKS KNOCKS ; BROWN'S BARBS GETTING THROUGH

Stephon Marbury doesn't agree with Larry Brown's tactics of bashing players in the newspaper, but Marbury gave the Knicks' coach his props yesterday, admitting it works. Marbury has strung together...

STARKS FULL OF ADVICE FOR KNICKS

KNICK NOTES Ten days ago in Milwaukee, John Starks and Stephon Marbury found a hidden corridor inside Bradley Center before the Knicks faced the Bucks. Starks, who's wearing many hats...

KIDD PONDERS OLYMPIC TEAM

It's a three-year commitment, but Jason Kidd is seriously considering joining the U.S. National Team in its quest to win Olympic gold in 2008. That is why there will be...

OLD TOM VALUES - COUGHLIN'S STYLE WORKS FOR GIANTS

THERE are a few things we already knew about Tom Coughlin: 1) His press conferences never will be confused with anything you might have seen in the old days at...

HEY, JETS, GET FASSEL - EX-JINT COACH HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO PILOT GANG GREEN

HERE is a strong piece of advice for Terry Bradway who, judging from his performance thus far, could use an entire very special "Dr. Phil" episode's worth of advice on...

DO THE MATH - KEY STATS TELL LOT ABOUT PLAYERS ON MOVE

Key stats tell lot about players on move HARDBALL Carlos Delgado's power should be unimpeded by Shea Stadium and Johnny Damon's likely will be enhanced at Yankee Stadium. Delgado retained...

AT HOME WITH MR. WRIGHT - MET PHENOM JUST ONE OF THE BOYS IN THIS VIRGINIA FAMILY

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Elisa Wright knew this day was coming. Her oldest son had signed a 12-month lease on an apartment in Manhattan. Now that David Wright was a rising...

LOU NEEDS A SUTTER - BRENT SHOULD BE DEVS' NEXT COACH

IT'S not that Lou Lamoriello hasn't been able to find a replacement for Larry Robinson in the 21 days since the twice-departed head coach stepped down, it's that the Devils'...

GOBBLE, GOBBLE HEY, HUNTERS!

OUTDOORS OWING to any num ber of reasons, tur key hunting is be coming the activity of choice for many sportsmen and women in the field. The reasons for its...

ZAB FRITTERS BELTS AWAY

Brooklyn's Zab Judah walked into the Garden as the only undisputed champion in boxing, just one win away from a huge payday and another shot at superstardom. He walked out...

ISLES' BIG LINE COMING UP SMALL

It used to be that Oleg Kvasha was the only enigma the Islanders had. But this season, which reached the 41-game midpoint last night, the Isles have an entire line...

TIME TO START FROM SCRATCH?

Hurricanes 3 Islanders 0 Islanders GM Mike Milbury wasn't about to throw anyone under the bus last night and didn't put anyone on alert, even though it seems that change...

DEVILS HOPE EARLY-SEASON CHAOS IS BEHIND THEM

BUFFALO - His record up to a lofty 4-5 as interim coach, Lou Lamoriello declined to evaluate the first half of the Devils' season, preferring to focus on the recent...

SAINT PRESERVE US - FIRST JETS INTERVIEW TO HASLETT

First up in the batter's box for the Jets in their search for a head coach is Jim Haslett, a man who knows a thing or two about adversity. Haslett,...

OLD RIVALS TREADING ON NEW GROUND

CINCINNATI - Seventy-one times since being placed in the same division after the 1970 merger, the Bengals and Steelers have met. But never in a playoff game until today. That...

MIRROR IMAGES - REDSKINS, BUCS ON SAME PATH

TAMPA - If the Jets need a formula for figuring out how to turn their franchise around, a close look at the Redskins and Bucs can offer some clues. The...

'DO OR DIE' FOR GIANTS - PANTHERS TOUGH TEST IN PLAYOFF OPENER

Is Eli Manning ready and is Steve Smith stoppable and which set of defensive ends is better and can anyone cool white-hot Tiki Barber and the John Fox factor and...

JUST STOP FLOATIN' THESE SHOWBOATS

IT LIKELY has no better chance of happening in 2006 than it did in 2005, but if there's one New Year's resolution TV might give a shot it would be...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Tired of seeing downhearted men leaving a nearby unemployment office, a whorehouse in Berlin, Germany, is offering low rates for job seekers - $20 a session. "Before, I could only...